Common Core State StandardL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.

News Video for: 06/01/2020

Protests spark worries about new coronavirus outbreaks

The death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after a white office pinned him to the ground with a knee to his neck, sparked protests across the United States and fears of more coronavirus outbreaks. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose city was one of many to experience civil unrest, urged protesters to get COVID-19 tests. “There is still a pandemic in America that’s killing black and brown people at higher numbers,” she said.

Class discussion: Is it wrong to engage in political protests if it endangers public health? Why or why not? What concerns you more - the deaths of African-Americans confronted by police or people dying from COVID-19? Can we deal with both crises? Why is the coronavirus more likely to kill African-Americans than other groups? Why are African-Americans more likely to be arrested or killed by police than white people? Is racism really the legacy of America’s “original sin” of slavery?